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(N0 Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1 F. H. momma- INSTR UMENT FOR HANDLING BUTTON FASTENERS.

Patented Dec. 29, 1885.

mmewes M WM Inventor:

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E E. H. RICHARDS.

INSTRUMENT FOR HANDLING BUTTON FASTENERS.

No. 333,160. Patented Dec. 29, 1885'.

Fig. 0 W 4 Nv PETERS. l'hmn-i lhogmpher. Withinglnfl. D-C- U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASS, ASSIGN OR TO THE AMERI- CAN BUTTON FASTENER COMPANY, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONN.

INSTRUMENT FOR HANDLING BUTTON-FASTENERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,160, dated December 29, 1885.

Application filed July 2, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, county of Hampden, State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Instrument for Handling Button-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in instruments for handling that class of button to fasteners, and others similar thereto, which -are shown and described in United States Patent N o. 314, 684, dated March'31, 1885, the object being to provide an instrument whereby a row of such fasteners may be removed from a packing-box and placed in the magazine of a button-iastener-setting machine, as hereinafter set forth.

To this end the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 shows an end elevation of an instrument embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, drawn in projection with Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows the instrument about to be closed onto a row of fasteners, to take them from the packing-box, described and claimed in my application, Serial No. 167,997, filed June 8.1885. Fig. 4 shows the'instrument about to be re- 0 leased from a row of fasteners, to let them fall into the magazine M of a button-fastener-set ting machine, described and claimed in my United States Patent No. 311,033, dated January 20, 1885.

Similar characters designate the same parts in all the figures.

A, B, and C, respectively, designate the two handles and spring for opening them of a pair of common pliers. These handles are pivot- 0 ally connected to each other at D in the usual manner, and are each respectively furnished with a long jaw, E F, set parallel to each other. Each jaw is provided with a thin lip, 3, adapt- Serial No. 170,456. (No model.)

ed to be forced under the end of the heads of the fasteners 2 while they lie in the box, as shown in Fig. 3. As they are raised by lips 3, the ends of the fastener-heads rest in a groove, 4, formed in each of the two jaws E and F. While so held by the jaws the fasteners are lifted from the box. and their prongs inserted into the groove of magazine M, as shown in Fig. 4, and released by allowing spring 0 to open the the jaws.

To insure the perfect holding of all the fasteners in the row of them grasped by the instrument, I insert into the groove in one'jaw, F, a strip ofleather, rubber, or other soft elastic material, as shown in black at 5, Figs. 1, 3, and 4. This strip yields to the longer heads when these vary in length or the jaws are not in exact parallelism, so as to hold every fastener of the row of them with substantially equal force.

strument may be constructed of various materials, and changed from theproportions shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim- 1. The improved instrument herein described for handling button-fasteners, it consisting of a pair of handles, each provided with the longitudinally-grooved jaw having the continuous thin lip 3 from end to end thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. In an instrument for handling buttonfasteners, the combination of two parallel jaws, each having a groove, 4, and a lip, 3, one of said grooves having inserted therein a strip of elastic material, substantially as set forth, and forthe purpose specified.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS. Witnesses: r

R. L. PEcK,

C. O. PALMER.

It will be understood that my improved in- 

